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(No Model.) 4 Sheets-Sheet 1.

N. H. RICHARDS.

GRIP AND BRAKE GEAR OF CABLE TRAM CARS. No. 387,920. Patented Aug. 14, 1888.

(No Model.) 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 N. H. RICHARDS.

GRIP AND BRAKE GEAR OF CABLE TRAM CARS. No. 387,920; Patented Aug. 14, 1888.

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(No Model.) 7 4 Sheets-Sheet 3.

N. ERICHARDS.

GRIP AND BRAKE GEAR UP GABLE TEAM CARS. No. 387,920. Patented Aug. 14, 1888.

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(N0 IvIaRel.) 4 Sheets-Sheet 4. N. H. RICHARDS.

GRIP AND BRAKE GEAR 0P CABLE TRAM CARS.

No. 387,920. Patented Aug"; 14, 1888.

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NOXVELL HENRY tIGHARDS, OF RICHMOND, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-THIRD TO GEORGE XVILLIAM SELBY, JR, OF MELBOURNE, VIOTORTA.

GRlP AND BRAKE GEAR OF CABLE TRAM=CARS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 387,920, dated August 1 1888.

Application filed December 8, 1887. Serial No.257,342. (No model.) Patented in Victoria February 1'], 1887, No. 4,935; in Tosmanin October 20, 1887, No. 503/9; in New South Wales October 21, 1887, No. 280 g in South Australia October 21,1887, N0. 883; in New Zcalnud October 26,1887, No, 2.603; in England Novembcrfifi, 1887, No. 16,995, and in Queensland February 6,

To (ti/I whom it may concern.- under any circumstances to apply the brakes Be it known that l, NOWELL HENRY RIOH- while the rope is gripped or to grip the rope ARDS, a subject of the Queen of Great Britain, while the brakes are on. I show my gap-bar residing at Richmond, in the British colony connected to two forms of. the brake-gear in 5 of Victoria, engineer, have invented new and order to better exemplify my invention.

useful Improvements in the Grip and Brake Referring to my drawings, throughout which Gear of Cable lra1n-Gars, (for which I have obsimilar letters indicate corresponding parts, tainedLettersPntentin thet'ollowingcountries, Figure l is a side sectional view of sufficient to wit: in Victoria,dated Februaryl7, 1887, N0. of the grip and brake mechanism carried on 1:) 4,935; in Tasmania dated October 20, 1887, a dummy-car to exhibit my invention at- 6 No. 503 /9; in New Zealand, dated Oetober26, tached to one form of brakegear for acting on 1887, No. 2,603; in New South Wales, dated the wheels. Fig. 2 is a plan of the mechan- October 21,1887,No.280; in Queensland, dated isrn and parts shown in Fig. 1. 8 shows February 6, 1888, No. 8-15; in South Australia, a view of the end weigh-shaft and its attachdated October 21, 1887, No. 883, and in Great ments. Fig. 4 shows details of the stud or pin 6 Britaimdated November 26, 1887, No. 16,295, at the side of the operating hand-lever and. and for which I, in conjunction with Charles the gap-bar. Fig. 5 is a side sectional view, Llewellyn \Vatt, a subject of the Queen of and Fig. 6 a plan, of an alternative arrange- Great Britain, residing at Balaklava, near Melment of the brake mechanism carried on the bonrne, in theBrit-ish colony of Victoria aforedummycar and connected according to my said, filed an application for Letters Patentiu invention to the operating hand-lever. Fig. the said British colony of Victoria on the 17th 7 is a view of the weigh-shaft and its connec day of February, 1887, No. 4,935; that under tions at the one end, and Fig. 8 a view of the thelawsgoverning the grant of patents in said weigh-shaft and its connections at the other 25 colony the Letters Patent will bear date as of end of the brake-gear. (Shown in Figs. 5

the day of filing, and that up to the present and 6.) time the patent on said application filed in said In Figs. 1 to i, A is the operating hand-lever, colony has not been granted,) of which the which is connected atitslowcrend to the ropefollowing is a specification. gripping mechanism, and this lever is ar- 0 Thisinx-ention of improvements in the grip ranged between two quadrantbars, one of and brake gear of cable train cars relates, which has ratchet-teeth formed on itatA and mainly, to the mechanism which enables the the other has ratchet-teeth on it in the reverse one hand-lever to be used for operating the direction at N. gripping devices and the brake mechanism, A is a spring catch-piece arranged at one and the essence of it lies in connecting the edge of lever A, and this catclrpiece is beveled brake-gear, through the medium of a gapbar, at its one edge to suit the teeth A" and at its with a pin fixed at the side of the hand'lever. other edge to suit the teeth A while its upper The object of the gapbar is to allow of its end is connected by rod A" with the tongue being raised oii' thelever-pin and so to disconlever A which is centered to said lever A. meet the braltegcar from the lever, and thus A is a pin or stud arranged at one side of enable the gripping-jaws to release their hold the lever A and at a point as near as possible of the rope while the car is traveling. to the top of the slot-beain of the train-track, \V hen the lever and gap bar are .in their and this pin has an upstanding car, A, at its normal connected position, with the gap of the outer edge. bar on the side pin, then if the lever is placed B is a gap-bar, the gap B of which is made 5 so as to apply the brakes to the wheels the to fit over the pin or stndA, and this gap-bar gripping devices release their hold of the rope, has an upper snug on it, which is connected and, vice versa, when the lever is placed to reby the link 13 with the lever B, which is con lease the brakes the gripping devices grip the tered to the lever A. The lever B is con- 5o rope. It is thus evident that it is impossible nected by the rod B with another tongue-le- [00 ver, B also centered on said hand-lever A. The back end of the gap-bar B is jointed at O to the brake-gear, which consists of an adjustable rod, 0, supported at its one end in the guide-bracket C,and having its other end connected to the crank-arm O projecting down from the weigh-shaft G, which has projecting upward from it two shorter arms, 0 This shaft is supported in suitable bearings, C. The arm 0 has a link, 0 attached to it, which is connected to the transverse bar 0 at its end of the car, and such bar is supported in the guides G, and has at each of its ends a brakeplate, 0", which bears upon the tread and flange of the wheel. The short arms 0 are connected to the adjustable longitudinal rods 0, the other ends of which are connected to the cross-head C", which is attached to another transverse bar, 0*, at the other end of the car, such bar being also supported in guides C and having brake-plates G" at its ends. D is the frame of the car, D its axles, and D" its wheels.

In Figs. 5 to 8 is shown the alternative con struction of brake mechanism for acting on the car-wheels,which is operated, as described for the first description of brakegear, by the lever A, through the intervention of the gap bar B, which, for this form of brake mechanism, is made in two piecesjoined together by the screw-coupling B. The back end of the bar is jointed, as before, at O to a rod, 0, supported in a guide-bracket, C", while the outer end of rod 0 is jointed to the lower end of an arm, E, centered on a weigh-shaft, E, supported in bearings E on the frame D. A link, E, is also jointed, as shown, to the arm E, and this link is secured to the transverse bar 0 which, as before, is furnished with the brakeplates O and is supported in the guides C. At the joint 0 a cross-bar is carried, which supports the inner centers of two connectingrods, E", the other ends of which are connected to arms E, projecting downward from the weigh-shaft E, supported in bearings E attached to the frame D, and this weiglrshaft has an upwardly-extending arm, E, at its center, which is connected by the link E to the transverse brake-bar 0 as before. By arranging a screw-coupling, B, on the gap-bar the centers of the rods acting on the brakeplates at both ends of the vehicle are simultaneously adj nsted.

The mode of operation is as follows: Supposing a tram-car is fitted up according to my invention, then if the gap B in the bar 13 be down on the pin or stud A at the side of the lever A, and it be pulled over toward the lefthand side, then the brakes would be applied to the wheels and the gripping-jaws would release their hold of the rope; and, vice versa, when the lever is pushed forward again toward the right-hand side the brakes would be released and the grip applied to the rope. At positions where the rope is depressed, and it has to be released without applying the brake to the wheels, then (to allow of such being done) the disengaging-handle is pressed inward toward the lever A, so as to raise the gap-lever above and clear of the pin or stud A on the lever A, and thus leave the hand-lever free to be drawn to the left-hand side, and so allow the gripping-jaws to'release their hold of the rope without'the brakes being applied. When it is desired to secure the hand-lever at any position, the catch A is allowed to engage with the ratchet-teeth of the quadrant-bars.

Having thus described the nature of my said invention and the manner of performing the same, I would have it understood that what I believe to be new, and therefore claim as my improvements in the grip and brake gear of cable tram-cars, is

1. The combination, with the gripper handlever, of a pin or stud which is arranged at its side, and a gap-bar, which is attached to the wheel-brake mechanism, substantially as herein described and explained, and as illustrated in my drawings.

2. The combination, with the gripper handlever having a pin or stud at its side and the gap-bar which engages with it, of the tonguelever, the connections of which are attached to the gap-bar to raise itclear of the stud when so desired, substantially as herein described and explained, and as illustrated in my drawg. The combination, substantially as herein described and shown, with the gripper handlever provided with a pin or stud projecting from one side thereof, of a gap-bar, adjustable as to length, connected with the wheel-brake mechanism, for the purposes specified.

4. The combination, substantially as herein described and shown, with the gripper handlever provided with a stud or pin projecting from one side thereof, of a gap-bar resting on the stud, a connection between said bar and the gripper-lever, whereby the bar may be lifted off the stud, a connection between the bar and the brake mechanism at one end of the car, a cross-bar connected with the gapbar, and connectingrods for connecting said cross-bar with the brake mechanism at the other end of the car, as shown, and for the purposes specified.

5. The combination, substantially as herein described and shown, with the gripper handlever provided with a stud or pin projecting from one side thereof, of a gap-bar resting on the stud and adjustable as to length, a connection between the gap-bar and hand lever, whereby said bar may be lifted off the stud, a connection between the bar and brake mechanism at one end of the car, a cross-bar connected with the gap-bar, and connectingrods connecting said crossbar with the brake mechanism at the other end of the car, for the pur poses specified.

NOWELL HENRY RICHARDS;

WVitnesses:

WALTER S. BAYSTON, WALTER CHARLES HART. 

